The Day that Never Ends
Well, I know allot of you probably have heard a little bit about our close friends and the thing that happened there...how it hit me pretty hard etc...
anyway, I was just looking through my Xanga and found the testimony of Tracy's wife and I just wanted you all to see it....
Here it is:
The Day that Never Ends
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
My husband, Tracy, and I were married almost 10 years. Most of those years were
difficult and extremely stressful for me. I spent those years giving birth to
baby after beautiful baby until they totaled five! Tracy was gone most of the
time, seeking his own interests. He didn't help much at all, coming and going as
he pleased. I felt like a single parent. At times he would try to change, but it
would always wear off within weeks, sometimes days. The children and I prayed
for him for what seemed like forever, but it only got worse. Then our marriage
came to a crisis point- either major changes would occur, or our family was
doomed to fall apart. I was so weary that I had nearly given up. But the
children never stopped praying for their dad. For 4 years we prayed for him what
many have dubbed "a radical prayer". It went like this - "Lord, please do
whatever it takes to save Daddy (and each one of us), even if it means you have
to lay us in the grave". I don't quite know why we prayed that specific prayer.
We just felt impressed to pray it for Tracy specifically.
In this crisis time, my husband changed; radically. He asked me what he could do
to make things better. He said he was sorry - and meant it. He tried so hard to
make up for all the pain he caused. He came home from work - everyday. He played
with the children. He prayed for us. He participated in our family. I thought it
would wear off soon like all the other times, so I was very skeptical. He asked
if he should give up basketball (he played at least 10 times per week). I had
begged him for years to put our family, our marriage, before basketball. He
would always give me an empty look and say "It's something I have to work on".
Now I told him not to give up his favorite sport! I had learned if it wasn't
given up for Jesus, that it was only temporary at best. He left the basketball
court - forever. I asked him why he suddenly wanted to be with us and give up
the things that had been so precious to him. He answered with words that are
forever burned into my mind. He said with intense, solemn, eye -contact,
"Because God has given me a new heart."
I had never heard words like that from him. Yet I still was so scared to hope.
The Lord gently nudged my heart to be patient and watch. Month after month went
by. He only got better. He didn't backslide like before - he only got better.
Did I dare to hope? 10 months had now gone by. The children and I were nearly
used to having a male voice singing at family worship. It wasn't feeling strange
to have him home anymore. For awhile it had felt like we had a visitor whenever
he was home. Now we were becoming a family! Much precious time had been lost
those years. He wanted so much to make it up to us. He knew our son loved to
hike. So, one beautiful Sabbath afternoon Tracy and our then 11 year old son,
Dylan, made plans with some Adventist friends to hike a local mountain a few
weeks later on June 20th, 2003.
Twin Peaks 2 They started early - 5am. It had rained the night before so as
they hiked through the brush they got very wet. As they ascended above tree line
they unexpectedly encountered snow. As they kick-stepped up a snow chute, two
hikers, one an 11 year old girl, began to get hypothermic. They were too far to
turn back, and to make things even worse, a fog had moved in and they could no
longer see to move ahead. They were in trouble and they knew it.
Twin Peaks 5My son tells me that Tracy was the one who requested that they all
stop and pray. Another hiker, Stefan, also tells me that Tracy took one look at
the seriousness of the situation, and with deep concern on his face, volunteered
to go ahead and search for the route to get everyone down. They watched him
until they could see him no more. He never came back. Later that night, after
rescuers transported by helicopter the remaining hikers to safety, they found
his body at the bottom of a 600-800 ft. avalanche chute.
We had him for only 10 months. I mean really had him. But in that short period
of time I saw the power of God at work to change a life from sin unto
righteousness! God be praised! The Lord Jesus had changed Tracy from, selfish to
the extreme, to, giving to the extreme! His last choice was to lay down his life
for his friends.
He died by falling on a rock that broke his physical body. But the Lord showed
me that we could rejoice, for he had already fallen upon the Rock and been
broken. And because of the first fall, the second was of little consequence. He
would rest until the Lord comes to make up his jewels.
10 short months? No way. Just the beginning. And one last thing - June 21st is
summer solstice. In Alaska it is 24 hours of sunlight - a day that never ends.
Tracy went to sleep on June 20th - the evening right before the day that never ends.
Stephanie Gaiser
anyway, I was just looking through my Xanga and found the testimony of Tracy's wife and I just wanted you all to see it....
Here it is:
The Day that Never Ends
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
My husband, Tracy, and I were married almost 10 years. Most of those years were
difficult and extremely stressful for me. I spent those years giving birth to
baby after beautiful baby until they totaled five! Tracy was gone most of the
time, seeking his own interests. He didn't help much at all, coming and going as
he pleased. I felt like a single parent. At times he would try to change, but it
would always wear off within weeks, sometimes days. The children and I prayed
for him for what seemed like forever, but it only got worse. Then our marriage
came to a crisis point- either major changes would occur, or our family was
doomed to fall apart. I was so weary that I had nearly given up. But the
children never stopped praying for their dad. For 4 years we prayed for him what
many have dubbed "a radical prayer". It went like this - "Lord, please do
whatever it takes to save Daddy (and each one of us), even if it means you have
to lay us in the grave". I don't quite know why we prayed that specific prayer.
We just felt impressed to pray it for Tracy specifically.
In this crisis time, my husband changed; radically. He asked me what he could do
to make things better. He said he was sorry - and meant it. He tried so hard to
make up for all the pain he caused. He came home from work - everyday. He played
with the children. He prayed for us. He participated in our family. I thought it
would wear off soon like all the other times, so I was very skeptical. He asked
if he should give up basketball (he played at least 10 times per week). I had
begged him for years to put our family, our marriage, before basketball. He
would always give me an empty look and say "It's something I have to work on".
Now I told him not to give up his favorite sport! I had learned if it wasn't
given up for Jesus, that it was only temporary at best. He left the basketball
court - forever. I asked him why he suddenly wanted to be with us and give up
the things that had been so precious to him. He answered with words that are
forever burned into my mind. He said with intense, solemn, eye -contact,
"Because God has given me a new heart."
I had never heard words like that from him. Yet I still was so scared to hope.
The Lord gently nudged my heart to be patient and watch. Month after month went
by. He only got better. He didn't backslide like before - he only got better.
Did I dare to hope? 10 months had now gone by. The children and I were nearly
used to having a male voice singing at family worship. It wasn't feeling strange
to have him home anymore. For awhile it had felt like we had a visitor whenever
he was home. Now we were becoming a family! Much precious time had been lost
those years. He wanted so much to make it up to us. He knew our son loved to
hike. So, one beautiful Sabbath afternoon Tracy and our then 11 year old son,
Dylan, made plans with some Adventist friends to hike a local mountain a few
weeks later on June 20th, 2003.
Twin Peaks 2 They started early - 5am. It had rained the night before so as
they hiked through the brush they got very wet. As they ascended above tree line
they unexpectedly encountered snow. As they kick-stepped up a snow chute, two
hikers, one an 11 year old girl, began to get hypothermic. They were too far to
turn back, and to make things even worse, a fog had moved in and they could no
longer see to move ahead. They were in trouble and they knew it.
Twin Peaks 5My son tells me that Tracy was the one who requested that they all
stop and pray. Another hiker, Stefan, also tells me that Tracy took one look at
the seriousness of the situation, and with deep concern on his face, volunteered
to go ahead and search for the route to get everyone down. They watched him
until they could see him no more. He never came back. Later that night, after
rescuers transported by helicopter the remaining hikers to safety, they found
his body at the bottom of a 600-800 ft. avalanche chute.
We had him for only 10 months. I mean really had him. But in that short period
of time I saw the power of God at work to change a life from sin unto
righteousness! God be praised! The Lord Jesus had changed Tracy from, selfish to
the extreme, to, giving to the extreme! His last choice was to lay down his life
for his friends.
He died by falling on a rock that broke his physical body. But the Lord showed
me that we could rejoice, for he had already fallen upon the Rock and been
broken. And because of the first fall, the second was of little consequence. He
would rest until the Lord comes to make up his jewels.
10 short months? No way. Just the beginning. And one last thing - June 21st is
summer solstice. In Alaska it is 24 hours of sunlight - a day that never ends.
Tracy went to sleep on June 20th - the evening right before the day that never ends.
Stephanie Gaiser